Indexer For Projectile Round

ABSTRACT

An indexer apparatus and method for using the indexer apparatus to prevent the unwanted migration or movement of a round within a chamber of a gun prior to firing. The indexer apparatus includes a movable member and a means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round. The movable member may include a stud, a flexible or traverse section of a chamber or a barrel, a cam, and a ball bearing. The means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round include but are not limited to a spring, a solenoid, a magnet, a cam, an electromagnet, a valve, or a lever.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention is a nonprovisional application with priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/801,715 filed Mar. 15, 2013. The prior application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for preventing the unwanted migration or movement of a round within a chamber of a gun prior to firing. The apparatus and method may be utilized with all different firearms, but this disclosure is directed to pneumatic air rifles and guns, specifically paintball guns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In certain guns and other rifles, such as paintball guns, a round of ammunition may be placed into a clip or other ammunition holder, which is then loaded onto the body of the rifle or gun. Upon attachment to the rifle or gun, the rounds of ammunition are placed under pressure, and each round is forced towards a chamber. Usually, all rounds within the clip are side-by-side in direct physical contact with one another. One round is fed into the chamber at a time. As each round is fed into the chamber, a bolt or other member is actuated by a user, and urges the round into the barrel of the rifle or gun. The round is then evacuated from the barrel upon the triggering of a firing mechanism.

Sometimes, the bolt may not align precisely with the round, and when the bolt actuates, a round may be pushed at an awkward angle, potentially damaging the interior components of the gun or rifle. Alternatively, the round beneath the chambered round (or the “on-deck round”) may be damaged by the leading edge of the bolt if a portion of the round has been forced into the chamber prematurely, making aiming and firing of the next round difficult or degrading the aerodynamics of the round or projectile, decreasing the accuracy of the rifle or gun. Furthermore, such a situation could result in misfires or jams that compromise the operational safety of the rifle or gun.

Therefore, a need in the art exists for a new apparatus and method for aligning a round within the chamber of a gun, such as a paintball gun, prior to firing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for chambering a round within a rifle or gun, such as a paintball gun, that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.

It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an indexer apparatus for applying pressure to a chambered round counter to the pressure provided by an ammunition clip or other apparatus for holding rounds.

It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an indexer apparatus that is actively or passively actuated. Active actuation includes electrical or pneumatic means, where the indexer apparatus is urged toward the chambered round with a mechanism including but not limited to electromagnets, solenoids, or valves. Passive actuation includes magnetic or mechanical means, where the indexer apparatus is urged toward the chambered round with a mechanism including but not limited to opposing magnetic poles, a spring, or a cam or lever system.

It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved rifle or gun that decreases the likelihood the rifle or gun will misfire, jam, or damage rounds held within an ammunition clip or other apparatus for holding rounds.

It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide an indexer apparatus that may be incorporated into the body of the gun or rifle as a part of the chamber, the barrel, or the bolt in a configuration generally above an on-deck round

These and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects, features and advantages, and no single embodiment need exhibit every object, feature, and/or advantage

According to one aspect of the present invention, an indexer apparatus and a rifle or other gun including the indexer apparatus is provided. The indexer apparatus includes a movable member and a means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round. The movable member may include a stud, a flexible or traverse section of a chamber or a barrel, a cam, and a ball bearing. The means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round include but are not limited to a spring, a solenoid, a magnet, a cam, an electromagnet, a valve, or a lever. In an illustrated embodiment, the rifle or other gun is a paintball gun, the movable member is a stud, and the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round is a spring. In another illustrated embodiment, the rifle or other gun is a paintball gun, the movable member is a traverse section of a chamber, and the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round is a spring.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for using the indexer apparatus is provided. The method includes providing a rifle or gun having the indexer apparatus, and inserting a magazine having a plurality of rounds into the rifle or gun. A round is then inserted into a chamber of the rifle or gun, and the movable member of the indexer apparatus is pressed against the round within the chamber, forcing the round within the chamber toward an on-deck round within the magazine. The round within the chamber is then urged into a barrel of the rifle or gun, and the round is ejected from the barrel. After ejecting the round within the chamber from the rifle or gun, the on-deck round is then pressed against the indexer apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a portion of a rifle or gun rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention where a movable member is pressing against a chambered round prior to a bolt urging the chambered round into a barrel;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of components illustrated from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention where a movable member is pressing against a chambered round prior to a bolt urging the chambered round into a barrel;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view from FIG. 3 having the indexer apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention where the bolt is displacing the movable member, urging the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view from FIG. 3 illustrating a further displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention where a movable member is pressing against a chambered round prior to a bolt urging the chambered round into a barrel;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the indexer apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention where the bolt is displacing the movable member, urging the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 11 is a cross-section view from FIG. 10 illustrating a further displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13A is a cross-section exploded view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 12;

FIG. 13B is a cross-section partial exploded view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the indexer apparatus in accordance with a embodiment of FIG. 12, where the bolt is displacing the movable member, urging the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 15 is a cross-section view from FIG. 14 illustrating a further displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 16 is a cross-section view from FIG. 14 illustrating a further displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an exploded view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a cross-section view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 17 illustrating a displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the indexer apparatus in accordance with a embodiment of FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the indexer apparatus in accordance with a embodiment of FIG. 17;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a portion of a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a cross-section view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is a cross-section view of the indexer apparatus from FIG. 22 illustrating a displacement of the chambered round into the barrel;

FIG. 26 is a partial sectional view of a prior art gun having a prior art chamber without an indexer apparatus; and

FIG. 27 is a partial sectional view of the gun from FIG. 36 modified to include an indexer apparatus in accordance with one of the embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for preventing the unwanted migration or movement of a round within a chamber of a gun prior to firing. The apparatus and method may be utilized with all different firearms, but this disclosure is directed to pneumatic air rifles and guns, more specifically paintball guns.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like parts, FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrated a first embodiment of the present invention directed to a rifle or a gun, 10 having an indexer apparatus 20 situated in a portion 40 of the chamber 12. The indexer apparatus 20 includes a movable member, depicted as a stud 22, pressing against a chambered round 30 prior to a bolt 14 urging the chambered round 30 into the barrel 16 of the gun 10. The chambered round 30 has been urged into the chamber 12 by a pusher apparatus (not shown and well known in the industry) within the clip or magazine attached to the gun 10. Generally beneath the chambered round 30 is an on-deck round 32 partially expelled from a magazine, awaiting entrance to the chamber 12 upon expelling the chambered round 30.

As seen in the FIGS. 1-5, a means for urging the movable member in the direction of the chambered round 30, is depicted as spring 24 and is urging stud 22 against chambered round 30. As such, on-deck round 32 is clear of the path of bolt 14. The urging stud 22 is situation in an opening 42 in the chamber 12 with the spring having a lower end positioned against the chamber and will have, when assembled in the gun or rifle, the top portion of the spring 24 situated against an inside portion of the housing and configured to urge the stud 22 downwardly thereby pressing the chambered round 30 and the on-deck round in positions such that the chambered round 30 will advance into the barrel 16 without damaging the on-deck round 32.

When chambered round 30 is urged into the barrel 16 by bolt 14, the leading edge of the bolt 14 is above the on-deck round 32, and the generally conical shape of chambered round 30 allows forward movement without impinging on-deck round 32. This movement is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 is a cross-sectional view of a gun 10 having an indexer apparatus 20, where the bolt 14 is displacing the stud 22, urging the chambered round 30 into the barrel 16.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 the bolt 14 may include a tapered leading edge 44 that comes into contact with the edge of the stud 22, or urging member. To assist in moving the urging member away from the bolt during firing, the edge of the stud may also be tapered 46.

As provided in the first embodiment of the present invention, indexer apparatus 20 generally comprises a movable member and a means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round. The movable member may include a stud, a flexible or traverse section of a chamber or a barrel, a cam, and a ball bearing. The means for urging the moveable member'in the direction of a chambered round include but are not limited to a spring, a solenoid, a magnet, a cam, an electromagnet, a valve, or a lever. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the movable member is a stud and the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round is a spring.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 11, the movable member is a traverse section 122 positioned in a portion 140 of the chamber 112, and the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round 130 is spring 124. As with the first embodiment, traverse section 122 acts to deflect or otherwise apply pressure to the chambered round 130 to ensure that bolt 114 does not come into contact with on-deck round 132. The primary difference between the embodiments lies in the application of an alternative moveable member for use with the indexer apparatus 120. Traverse section 122 may comprise a metallic, polymeric, or otherwise durable material that may be made by machining, injection molding, milling, or other acceptable production methods. Traverse section 122 may be incorporated into chamber 120 by mechanical attachment, such as soldering or welding. However, traverse section 122 may also be machined or fabricated as a single piece with chamber 120. As long as traverse section 122 is capable of movement within a section 121 of the chamber 120 generally in the direction of chambered round 130 and on-deck round 132, any suitable means of attaching or incorporating into the chamber is intended to be within the scope of this invention.

As noted previously with other embodiments the bolt 114 may include a tapered leading edge 144 that will make contact with an edge 146 of the traverse section 122, which may also be tapered.

In the illustrated embodiments, the means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round is depicted as a spring 124, positioned through an opening 142 through the chamber 112. However, many other embodiments of the means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round are within the scope of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-16, there is illustrated another embodiment that includes an indexer apparatus 200 positioned in a portion 240 of the chamber 212. As with the previous embodiments the indexer apparatus 200 acts to deflect or otherwise apply pressure to either the chambered round 230 or the on-deck round 232 to ensure the bolt 214 does not come into contact with the on-deck round 232 when firing. In this embodiment the indexer apparatus 200 is a block member 250 positioned in a notch 252 defined in the lower portion 254 of the chamber 212. The block member 250 is positioned against the chambered round to prevent it from traveling all the way to the top of the chamber. As is shown, this can be done by either applying pressure to the chambered round from one side, top or both sides. Once the chambered round is fired, the bolt moves forward pushing the chambered round into the barrel, while simultaneously pushing the indexer apparatus into its notch or hole. When the bolt retracts, the indexer apparatus pop back into place preventing the on-deck round from traveling to the top of the chamber.

Referring now to FIGS. 17-21, the indexer apparatus 300 is one or more balls 350 that are positioned in notches 352 on the inside portion of the chamber 312. Similarly, when the bolt 314 moves to make contact with the chambered round 330, the bolt does not come into contact with the on-deck round 332 because the one or more balls 350 push the chambered round downwardly such that the on-deck round 332 is not in the way of the barrel 316.

Referring now to FIGS. 22-25, the indexer apparatus 400 is defined by having a rod or cylinder member 450 positioned in a notch 452 on the inside portion of the chamber 412. The cylinder member 450 is positioned against the chambered round 430 which urges the on-deck round 432 downwardly and out of the way of the bolt 414 so the chambered round 430 can fire through the barrel 416 without obstruction.

The indexer apparatus shown in FIGS. 12-25 can actuating out towards the chambered round by various ways, such as springs, levers, pneumatics, or electrical mechanics. In addition, the indexer apparatus may be made of a resilient material that when are configured to compress when the bolt squeezes them tighter into the notch, when firing, but will then reform once the bolt returns to its resting position.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 and 27, there is shown a gun 500 in accordance with the prior art having a two piece housing 502 (only one half shown) with a chamber 504 and a bolt 506. The barrel 508 is not shown. To modifier the gun 500 to include an indexer apparatus in accordance with one of the embodiments described herein, the chamber 504 would be swapped with one of the chambers described herein In FIG. 27, the chamber 520 includes a means for urging 520, in the form of a spring 522, the movable member (internally to the chamber 520). As noted above, the spring 522 has a lower end positioned against the chamber and has a top portion situated against an inside portion 524 of the housing 502 configured to urge the stud downwardly thereby pressing the chambered round and the on-deck round in positions such that the chambered round will advance into the barrel without damaging the on-deck round.

In some of the above described embodiments, the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of a chambered round include but are not limited to a spring, a solenoid, a magnet, a cam, an electromagnet, a valve, or a lever. In an alternative embodiment (not illustrated), the moveable member is an extension of the bolt, and the means for urging the movable member in the direction of a chambered round is the bolt. Such an embodiment would decrease the cost of production of the indexer apparatus, and would provide a way to incorporate the indexing apparatus into other existing rifles or guns without modifying the body, chamber, or barrel.

The illustrated embodiments as described include where the rifle or gun is a gun. However, any type of rifle or gun, such as a automatic rifle or gun, a semi-automatic rifle or gun, a machine gun, a hand gun, a pneumatic air rifle or gun, a shotgun, a BB gun, and a paintball gun is within the scope of this invention. However, it has been found that this invention is particularly suited for pneumatic rifles or guns, particularly paintball guns.

In operation, the indexing apparatus works as follows. A rifle or gun having the indexer apparatus is provided, and a magazine having a plurality of rounds is inserted into the rifle or gun. A round is then placed into a chamber of the rifle or gun, and the movable member of the indexer apparatus is pressed against the round within the chamber, forcing the round within the chamber toward an on-deck round within the magazine. The round within the chamber is then urged into a barrel of the rifle or gun, usually by a bolt, and the round is ejected from the barrel by a firing mechanism. After ejecting the round within the chamber from the rifle or gun, the on-deck round is then pressed against the indexer apparatus.

The present invention has many attendant advantages. First, the apparatus of the present invention decreases the likelihood that a rifle or gun having the indexing apparatus will misfire, jam, or damage rounds held within an ammunition clip or other apparatus for holding rounds. Secondly, the method provided by this invention ensures that an operator of the rifle or gun having the indexing apparatus experiences increased safety and precision while enjoying use of the rifle or gun. Lastly, it is expected that rifles or guns including the indexer apparatus of the invention will be more durable and have a longer useful life than other guns that do not include the indexer apparatus.

In other aspects a preexisting gun or rifle may updated with the barrel 16 as provided in any of the embodiments herein. Paint guns or rifles are typically assembled from two half housing and the user may simply take apart the halves and swap out one of the embodiments provided herein with the existing barrel. Thereby updating their existing gun or rifle for with the improvements provided herein.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiment described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by any claims. 

We claim:
 1. An indexer apparatus for a rifle or gun comprising: a chamber having a movable member positioned therein; and a means for urging the movable member toward a chambered round.
 2. The indexer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable member comprises a stud, a traverse section of the chamber, a cam, or a ball bearing.
 3. The indexer apparatus of claims 2, wherein the means for urging the moveable member in the direction of the chambered round comprises a spring.
 4. The indexer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rifle or gun is a pneumatic gun.
 5. The indexer apparatus of claim 4, where in the rifle or gun is a paintball gun.
 6. The indexer apparatus of claim 3, wherein the chamber includes a notch for receiving the movable member and a opening adjacent the notch for receiving the means for urging the moveable member.
 7. The indexer apparatus of claim 6, wherein the chamber is positioned in a gun housing such that the spring is positioned in the opening of the chamber with a top portion positioned against an internal section of the gun housing and a lower portion positioned against the movable member.
 8. A method of firing a rifle or gun, comprising: providing a rifle or gun having an indexer apparatus comprising a movable member and a means for urging the movable member toward a chambered round; inserting a magazine having a plurality of rounds into the rifle or gun; moving a round into a chamber, to define the chambered round, such that the chambered round moves against the movable member, such that the indexer apparatus presses against the chambered round forcing the chambered round to press against and move an on-deck round within the magazine out of the way of travel of a firing bolt, and whereby, upon firing of the chambered round, the on-deck round is not damaged.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: urging the the chamber round into a barrel of the rifle or gun; and ejecting the round from the chamber from the barrel without damaging the on-deck round.
 10. An indexer apparatus for a rifle or gun, having a magazine with projectile rounds, a barrel and a movable bolt, which when the rifle or gun is fired, the movable bolt enters the chamber and fires the chambered round through the barrel and then retracts out of the chamber to allow an on-deck round to move into the chamber, the indexer apparatus comprising: a movable member positioned in a notch defined in a portion of the chamber; and a means for urging the movable member.
 11. The indexer apparatus of claim 10, wherein the movable member comprises a stud, a traverse section of the chamber, a cam, or a ball bearing.
 12. The indexer apparatus of claims 11, wherein the means for urging the moveable member is a spring.
 13. The indexer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notch is positioned on a top side section of the chamber and the means for urging the movable member is a spring positioned in an opening in a top portion of the chamber adjacent the notch and configured to urge the movable member towards the chambered round to press the on-deck round downwardly out of the way of travel of the movable bolt.
 14. The indexer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notch is positioned on a top side section of the chamber and the means for urging the movable member is defined by a characteristic of the movable member being resilient such that when the movable bolt is fired and the movable bolt moves passed the movable member, the movable member compresses within the notch.
 15. The indexer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notch is positioned on a side section of the chamber between the chambered round and the on-deck round such that the movable member positioned in the notch is configured to urge the chambered round upwardly towards the barrel and configured to urge the on-deck round downwardly out of the way of travel of the movable bolt, and wherein the means for urging the movable member is defined by a characteristic of the movable member being resilient such that when the movable bolt is fired and the movable bolt compresses the movable member within the notch. 